Knockdown case.



' PATBNTBD JUNE 28, 1904.

. R. SGHOUTBN.

KNOCKDOWN CASE.

,QPLIGATION FILED JAN. 7. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

NO MODEL.

Arron/v5 rs PATENTED JUNE 28, 1904.

No. 763,801.A

R. SCHOUTEN.

KNOGKDOWN CASE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 7,1904.

ZSHEETS-SHEBT 2.

N0 MODEL.

lllllv- IIHHIIIIIII" Wl TNE SSE S:

'me NoRms Patins co., momumm. WASHINGTON. nA l;

UNiTnn STATES i PATENT Patented June 28, 1904.

Trina.

KNocKDowN CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,801, dated J une28, 1904.

" Application Vfiled January '7, 1904. vSerial No. 188,051. (No model.)

` To @ZZ whom, 1in/tay concerwf Beit known that I, RICHARD SCHOUTEN, acitizen of the United `States, and a resident of Keokuk, in thel countyof Lee and State of.

Iowa,`have invented a new and Improved vKnockdownl Case, of whichthefoll'owing is during the return shipment or in storage.

I will describe a knockdown case embodying my invention and then pointout the novel features in the appended claims. i

Reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification,

'in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding' partsin all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a knockdown case embodying myinvention. is a vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is a hori- Zontalsection. Figs. L and 5 are respectively a side and an end elevation ofthe case as folded, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a hinge connectionemployed.

rlhe case comprises opposite side walls 1 2, a front wall 3, and a rearwall 4. Each wall consists of sheathing, the sheathings being of thinstrong wood. In each wall the sheathings are secured to an upperbar 5, alower bar 6, and an intermediate bar 7 It will be noted that the bars ofthe front wall overlap the ends of the bars connected to the side wallsand also that the bars of the back wall overlap the ends of theside-wall bars.

Secured to the upper and lower sides of the front bars and to the rearbars at diagonally opposite corners are L-shaped hinge-plates 8.

The short mem bers of these hinge-plates overlap the bars of the sidewalls, and through perforations in these short portions pivotrods 9extend, the said rods of course also eX- tending through the bars of thesidewalls, and they also project slightly below the bottom of the boX,and the projected ends are rounded, as indicated at 10, forming supportsthat may be easily slid over the floor when it Fig. 2V

is desiredto move the case from place to place. At the other corners`hinge-platesl 11 are secured to the Lipper and lower sides of the barsof the side walls, and their perforated ends overlap the bars ofthefront and rear walls, and through theA perforations of these overlappedends pivotrods 12 extend similar to the pivot-rods 9. a The bottom board13 for the case has hinged connection 14 with the inner side of the rearwall, so that saidbottom board may be swung upward against the innerside of said rear wall. When in itslowered position, the bottom boardwill reist on cleatsA 15, secured to the several walls. rIhis bottomboard is locked in its lowered position by bolts 16 sliding thereon andengaging in recesses 17V in the front bottom bar 6. A cover 18 is sohinged to the rear upper bar 5 that when it is desired to fold the casethe said cover may be turned against the outer side of the rear wall.The cover is provided with a hasp 19 for engaging with a staple 20 onthe front top bar 5. At the portion where the L-shaped hinge-plates arearranged the sheathings of the side walls are provided with slots 21,which permit the movements of the hinges. When in use, the bottom boardwill keep the side walls in proper position, and to aid the same thecover at its inner side is provided with batten strips 22 for engagingagainst the inner side of the several walls.

VWhen not in use, the bottom board is to be i turned upward against theinner side of the wall to which it is hinged, the cover folded againstthe outer side of the wall to which it is hinged, and then the severalwalls may be swung together, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5.

Thev L-shaped hinges permit the walls to be folded in-parallelism, andtherefore several cases may be readily packed together one upon another.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A knockdown case comprising four walls, each wallconsisting of sheathing of thin material, horizontally disposed bars onthe outside of the boX to which the sheathings are connected, the endsof the bars of the front and rear walls overlapping the ends of the barsof the side walls, L-shaped hinge-plates IOO at two of the diagonallyopposite corners of the box having their longer sides connected to theupper and lower sides of the front and rear bars with their shortersides overlapping the top and bottom sides of the end bars, said shortersides being provided with apertures at their ends, plates attached tothe upper and lower sides of the horizontal bars at the other diagonallyopposite corners of the box, the ends of said plates lapping the top andbottom sides of the front and rear cross-bars and provided at saidoverlapping ends with apertures, said cross-bars having verticalapertures at their` corners registering with the apertures in saidlatter plates and the shorter ends of the L-shaped plates, rodsextending downwardly through said registering apertures outside thesheathing of the box to form hinges, the end sheathings at pointsopposite the inner edge of the shorter side of the L-shaped plate beingprovided with apertures of a size to permit the passage of said endswhen the box is folded, a bottom board hinged to the inner side of oneof the walls and adapted to open upwardly against said wall when the boxis folded, hatten -strips attached to the inner sides of the walls tosupport said bottom boards when lowered to position, the bottom bar andsheathing having a recess at the free edge of the bottom iiush with thetop side thereof, bolts slidable on said bottom and movable into saidrecesses to lock the bottom in operative position, a cover hinged to oneof the walls, and hatten-strips on the inner side of said cover forengaging the inner top edges oi' the walls, said cover being adapted tofold outwardly against the rear side of the box.

2. A lnockdown case comprising four walls, each wall consisting ofsheathing of thin material, horizontally-disposed bars on the outside ofthe box to which the sheathings are connected, the ends of the bars ofthe front and rear walls overlapping the ends of the bars of the sidewalls, L-shaped hinge-plates at two of the diagonally opposite cornersof the box having their longer sides connected to the upper and lowersides of the front and rear bars withv their shorter sides overlappingthe top and bottom sides of the end bars, said shorter sides beingprovided with apertures at their ends, plates attached to the upper andlower sides of the horizontal bars at the other diagonally oppositecorners of the box, the ends of said plates lapping the top and bottomsides of the front and rear cross-bars and provided at said overlappingends with apertures, said cross-bars having vertical apertures at theircorners registering with the apertures in said latter plates and theshorter ends of the L- shaped plates, and rods extending downwardlythrough said registering apertures outside the sheathing of the box toform hinges, the end sheathings at points opposite the inner edge of theshorter side of the L-shaped plate being provided with apertures of asize to permit the passage of said ends when the box is folded.

In testimony whereof` I have signed my name to this specilication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD SCHOUTEN.

Witnesses:

JosEPH SITTLER, HAM INMAN.

